Whether you’re trying to make your manufacturing facility safer or undergoing some construction work at your business, health and safety must always be considered a priority. 

After all, as an employer, you have a duty of care over your team, which means you must: 

• Provide a safe place of work.
• Provide a safe system of work.
• Provide adequate plant and equipment.
• Recruit competent and safety-conscious staff. 

Beyond your legal obligations, failing to uphold health and safety standards also puts your team and customers at risk. 

With that in mind, here are __ ways to improve workplace health and safety.

Use the right tools.

One of the easiest ways to manage health and safety in your workplace is to use the right tools for the job. For example, if you are working at height or on a construction process, you should look into Access tool hire. This is cheaper than having to purchase the equipment outright but still ensures the safety of your team. 

Offer on-site health and safety training. 

Most people are aware of the basics of health and safety in the workplace, but it’s important that you take the time to share this knowledge with each and every employee. For example, health and safety training should be part of your onboarding process, especially if they will be using or operating any hazardous equipment or tools. Beyond this, you should ensure that additional training is offered each time you introduce new equipment.

Don’t forget about signage.

Installing health and safety signage throughout your workplace can also ensure that stringent health and safety standards are maintained. For example, it could remind users how to use specific tools or equipment or to wear PPE when doing so. This can also be used to mark out employee-only areas so that unauthorised personnel or customers do not walk into hazardous environments by accident. 

Invest in PPE.

Ensuring that your team wears the appropriate PPE can also help to keep them safe at work and is once again a legal requirement within many industries. As such, it should be considered part of their uniform, meaning it’s something that you, the employer, ought to provide. PPE could include: 

• Noise-blocking headphones or earplugs 
• Face Masks 
• High-Vis Clothing
• Gloves
• Helmets
• Steel-toed Shoes

Carry out Regular Risk Assessments.

Conducting regular risk assessments can also be useful when it comes to improving health and safety policies within the workplace. This is because it can draw your attention to potential hazards which, if unresolved, could lead to a disaster within the workplace. Not only this but identifying ineffective practices could also help to improve the profitability of your business by making it more effective. 

To carry out a risk assessment, you must thoroughly inspect your workplace for any hazards, such as trailing wires or faulty smoke alarms. You should also write down a list of things that could go wrong, alongside the steps you are taking to avoid this kind of incident. The more thorough and detailed you are when completing this task, the better.